Picture this: you're unknowingly promoting your least profitable dishes while hiding your biggest moneymakers. Most restaurant owners arrange menus by instinct rather than income. But smart menu positioning can boost your nightly profits by 20% or more without changing a single recipe.
First analyze your current margins
Before you adjust your menu, you need to know which dishes actually make money. Calculate the margin per portion for each dish.
💡 Example:
Pasta carbonara - menu price €16.50 incl. VAT:
- Selling price excl. VAT: €15.14
- Ingredient costs: €4.20
- Margin per portion: €15.14 - €4.20 = €10.94
- Margin percentage: 72%
This dish deserves a prominent spot on your menu.
Create a list of all your dishes with the margin per portion. Sort from high to low. This becomes your new priority order.
Divide your dishes into categories
Divide your menu into three categories based on margin:
- Stars (margin >€8 per portion): These are the dishes you want to sell
- Workhorses (margin €4-8): Solid dishes, no priority
- Dogs (margin <€4): Consider raising the price or removing them
⚠️ Note:
Don't just look at margin percentage, but especially at euros per portion. A dish with 40% margin but €12 profit is better than a dish with 70% margin but €6 profit.
Position your stars strategically
Place your most profitable dishes in the best spots on your menu:
- Top right: First place the eye looks
- Middle of the page: Natural focus
- In a box: Draws extra attention
- As daily specials: Recommend verbally
💡 Example menu reorganization:
Previously, the steak (margin €6) was at the top. Now it's:
- Salmon fillet (margin €11.50) - in a box
- Duck breast (margin €9.80) - with description
- Risotto (margin €8.90) - as a specialty
The steak is now at the bottom of the meat dishes.
Use descriptions tactically
Give your most profitable dishes the most attention in the description:
- Stars: Extensive, tempting description
- Workhorses: Short, straightforward description
- Dogs: Just the name, no explanation
Use words that suggest value for your stars: "homemade", "freshly prepared", "chef's special". After managing kitchen operations for nearly a decade, I've seen how the right descriptive language can triple orders for high-margin items.
Test and measure the results
Keep track of what happens after your menu change:
- Average bill value per guest
- Which dishes are ordered most
- Total margin per evening
💡 Measurement example:
Restaurant with 80 covers per evening:
- Before menu change: average margin €7.20 per guest
- After menu change: average margin €8.80 per guest
- Extra profit per evening: 80 × €1.60 = €128
- Extra profit per month: €128 × 25 days = €3,200
Remove and replace
Dishes that are ordered infrequently and generate little profit are better removed. This:
- Simplifies your purchasing
- Reduces waste
- Makes your kitchen more efficient
- Creates space for profitable alternatives
Replace removed dishes with variations of your stars. If your risotto is doing well, try risotto with different ingredients.
How do you rewrite your menu based on margins? (step by step)
Calculate the margin per dish
Create a spreadsheet with all your dishes. Calculate per dish: selling price excl. VAT minus ingredient costs = margin in euros per portion. Sort from high to low.
Categorize your dishes
Divide into: Stars (margin >€8), Workhorses (€4-8), Dogs (<€4). Stars get top positions, workhorses normal spots, dogs at the bottom or removed.
Reposition and rewrite
Place stars top right and in boxes. Give them extensive descriptions. Workhorses get short text, dogs just the name. Test for 2-3 weeks and measure the difference.
✨ Pro tip
Track your top 5 profit-makers for exactly 30 days after repositioning them prominently on your menu. You'll typically see a 25-40% increase in orders for dishes moved to premium spots.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
Should I remove dishes that sell poorly but are still profitable?
Not necessarily. If a dish has high margin but sells little, try placing it in a better spot first or describing it differently. Only remove it if it really doesn't sell and requires a lot of inventory.
What if guests complain that their favorite dish is no longer prominent?
Explain that you've refreshed the menu for more variety. Most guests don't even notice position changes. If a dish is truly popular, it will keep selling regardless of position.
How often should I adjust my menu based on margins?
Check your margins every 3 months, as suppliers regularly change prices. Do a full menu reorganization 1-2 times per year, unless you see drastic changes in popularity or costs.
Is it better to look at margin percentage or euros per portion?
Euros per portion is more important for your total profit. A dish with 30% margin but €12 profit deserves priority over a dish with 60% margin but €5 profit. Absolute amounts matter more than percentages.
What if my best-selling dish has the lowest margin?
Try raising the price by 10-15% first and see if sales drop. Often a popular dish stays popular. If that doesn't work, try lowering ingredient costs by finding different suppliers or reducing portion sizes.
Should I factor in labor costs when calculating dish margins?
For basic margin analysis, focus on ingredient costs first since labor is usually fixed. However, if one dish requires 15 minutes of prep versus 3 minutes for another, factor that into your positioning decisions.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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